Longest serving Tennessee state legislator to retire in 2014

NASHVILLE, Tennessee: State Senator Douglas Henry (D) has announced he will not seek re-election in 2014, ending the longest tenure in the Tennessee General Assembly since the state was created in 1796. Henry, who recently turned 87, was first elected to the Tennessee State Senate in 1970. He also served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1955 to 1956. In a letter to Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, House Speaker Beth Harwell, and Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman Lowe Finney, Henry said, "It is my intention, the Lord willing, to serve in the regular session of the General Assembly in 2014 and any special session or sessions called during that year until the November election."[1]